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Sunday, June 8, 2008

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you're more than well aware of my aversion to the logo and uniforms of the Chicago Blackhawks. Now it's not that I just dislike them, it's that they're consistently billed as being the best logo/uniform combination in the NHL.

Yet no one has ever supplied a good reason!

I like their uniform design just find but I think their logo is old-fashioned — and not in the good way like the Canadiens. Even the Bruins had the sense to keep their look updated without kissing tradition goodbye.

To that end, I got an email this past week with a great logo set I can't help but feel is an improvement.

There are also jerseys — same design, just with the new logos.

Feel free to tell me I'm wrong and that the 'Hawks should change nothing, but know that I've heard it all before. And if you're among those who believe Chicago has the best look in the league, allow me to challenge you to explain. My position is that they are solid. They're not horrible, but how are they the best?

By the way, when redesigning the look of one of the league's oldest and most storied franchises, here's something to avoid.

I agree with atown jacketno changes need to be made to the original ones and the first jesey does make it look like an asianThe detail in the blackhawks current logo is one of the good thinks about it, along with the great colours. In this new logo the detail has competely disappeared.

the current blackhawks logo has only been around since the mid 60s so its not as long as it seems. before that they had a few really poor designs.

the current logo itself isnt the best in the league (at least not to me). however myself (and im assuming others) like the logo for what it represents. the logo, like the montreal logo, has becoming something of a tribute to the league and its history. under the current logo the blackhawks played in the old Chicago Stadium where the fans became so loud that opposing teams couldnt hear themeselves think. where, at every home game, there was a sea of red around the area. under that logo the invention of the curved stick took place. where names like Hull, Esposito, Mikita of the 70's transitioned to Belfour, Chelios, and Roenick of the 90's. it just one of those classic hockey symbols that people can gather around and tell stories about. with the current reemergence of the blackhawks and the bright future ahead of them the logo can help bridge the time gap between Hull and Kane.

the logos that were put up are horrible. the first one looks like a corporation took over the logo and stripped the character out of it. the second one is just to weird for me. i wouldnt mind a slight repolishing of logo, it just needs to be done right, like Boston, Pittsburgh or Washington.

Chris - you need to go look at an official B-Hawks jersey up close. The stiching in the primary and secondary logi and the level of detail are amazing. The colours are great in the logo too. What other team has definite primary colours, but also has logos that incorporate different colours so well. How cool is that? C'mon people!

Personally, I don't think the Hawks have the best jerseys in the league necessarily, But I do feel that the logo is perfect the way it is. It's bright and colourful, it catches your eye and pleases it. It's just..."icetetically" pleasing.

No offense c_v_j, I get where you're coming from BUT sometimes an apple is just an apple. It's just a name, it's just a logo. I'm 100% Irish but I'm not screaming bloody murder about ND Fighting Irish or about how everybody get's drunk and act's like a horses arse on St. Patrick's day! Hell let's get P.E.T.A involved, no more animal names because the animals are offended(Pgh Penguins...my Fav team since 1981, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons,etc...) How about the Catholic church being offended by(California Angels). Blackbeard the Pirate is rolling over in his grave because the Pittsburgh Pirates are giving piracy a bad name! It's just a name, It's just a logo.

to be fair, arrowcat - everything you said after the part about PETA is a non-sequitor. so to the point on hand, i appreciate your unique perspective on my take here, and will simply have to note that you clearly don't understand my issue with these logos.

in closing, opening a comment with "no offense" does not lead you to become immune from causing offense. keep that in mind before you use it next time.

you're correct I will never ever understand. I will never understand the worthlessness that the early Irish immigrants felt when they came to America.Our immigrant ancestors were not wanted in America. Ads for employment often were followed by "NO IRISH NEED APPLY." They were forced to live in cellars and shanties, partly because of poverty but also because they were considered bad for the neighborhood. I'm not screaming "I want an apology for the way my ancestors were treated. Again I will never understand your opposition to a "name or logo"

arrowcat, i was not trying to make any implication whatsoever to your ancestory... you're talking to a guy whose people are still forced to live on reservations if they want to practice their heritage though - so this is a kettle and teapot situation.

i don't want to get into a pissing contest about pain/suffering/what-have-you. what i do want to say is that i think racially themed sports names aren't cool in my books. fightin' irish OR redskins, i don't think it matters - either way i don't think it should happen.

when i stated you wouldn't understand, i simply meant that there's no way for me to explain to you my opposition to these western institutions given the stance you're taking.

if you think it's okay to represent sports franchises using racial stereotypes, that's fine... that's also why people like you and i are always going to be looking at chiefs and leprechauns. the difference is, you chose not to care and i do.

i really don't mean to highjack this post though. it's a post about the unis of the blackhawks, not societal practices. they're a good colour scheme, and the intricacy in the logo is among the best in the league. as long as they don't go back to blackshirts, i'm happy.

Sorry I get carried away sometimes. It's all good. I hate the black jersey also, as much as I hate the Flyers(Pens fan since 1981) I really wish they would go back to the Orange jersey. So many bad memories of the Flyers coming to Pitt and wearing Orange road jerseys, damn I miss that jersey...LOL!!

The Chicago Blackhawks jersey is a great jersey because it is simple. The logo is to the point (although looks nothing like the Sac War Chief Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak). The colors are used appropriately with classic stripes. The shoulder logos are the inspiration for other shoulder logos across the league. The numbers are bold, two-color blocks that can be easily viewed on TV or in the 300 level. It is the ultimate hockey jersey - Enough said!

c_v_j: arrowcat, i was not trying to make any implication whatsoever to your ancestory... you're talking to a guy whose people are still forced to live on reservations if they want to practice their heritage though - so this is a kettle and teapot situation.

Me gusta the tertiary logo.. finally, a black hawk!! How a team can go so long in their franchise history with that name and not have a "black hawk" anywhere at any time, we'll never know.

Back to the actual logo and jersey: I wouldn't say it's the best; I give that to the Canadiens, and I wouldn't expect many arguments to the contrary. It's a decent job with a nice design; simple, but not too simple.

calvin12, don't start. There's a lot more to the issue than just "choosing" a place of residence, but this isn't about socio-political issues.

The submitted "modernization" of the 'Hawks logo is indeed terrible. It oversimplifies what's already a touchy subject and is, to me, bordering on racially insensitive caricature much like Chief Wahoo of Cleveland. After all, if our society can't accept a hypothetical team called the Montgomery Negroes, for example, I fail to see why the Washington Redskins or Cleveland Indians is still acceptable as team names. The submitted 'Hawks logo screams that sort of dismissal to me.

to KSY92003: why on earth would the blackhawks have an actual black hawk bird as one of its logos? The team is not named after a bird. that logo has to be the most moronic logo i've ever seen. the blackhawks are named after a military unit in ww1 which was named after chief blackhawk, hence the indian head logo.

how could you want to change what is NOT BROKEN? Hawks jersey/logo is the best. Why do you think the logo you just put up there looks better? It's blurry and looks like a little kid created it. Leave the Hawks jersey alone, IT'S A CLASSIC. Less is more, no need to change a perfect thing.